


Working like an Egyptian

by Julielein73



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Egypt, F/F, F/M, Orphan Black - Freeform, Princess Delphine, cophine - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-02-13 08:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2143224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julielein73/pseuds/Julielein73
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Ancient Egypt, Ptolemaic Dynasty. Cosima and her family struggle to survive from day to day. Forced into a corner, Cosima forms a daring plan to ease her loved ones suffering. But can she succeed? Or will the Gods unleash an early judgment?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey, this story idea doesn't leave me alone for days now so I thought I need to write it before it turns me insane. I have to thank the great 'elodealeaf' for being my beta and giving me story ideas and directions. So glad to have her. So I'll see where this story goes and hope you guys like it.
> 
> If you wonder what a few mentioned gods stand for it's explained at the end.
> 
> Italic = Inner monologue
> 
> 'Italic in those things' = Kind of Inner voice, you'll see

"Cosima I'm not sure that's a good idea. There're guards-the royal guards for the sake of Isis! You're going to get yourself killed."

"So what? You expect me to sit here and wait, let you three starve while they literally sit on the food and store it in bunkers for the gods? Fresh, healthy food Sarah! It just rots in those temples and only serves to satisfy the hunger of those fat priests. The same priests who tell us every day that we should be thankful to serve the great pharaoh by building that pyramid. I bet if we took away their fruit, corn, wine and meat and let them work eighteen hours for a little sip of water, they'd finally shut up." The young woman replied. Her hands balled to fists when she just thought about this morning.

One of the old priests in his white robe came to examine the pyramid work, holding a chicken wing in his hand. He ate it in front of hundreds of underweight, hungry, hard-working men and women. He just stood there, watching them, when they had to put stones on the right places but always had one eye on the mans right hand where the chicken wing was slowly getting less and less. If it weren't for all the guards Cosima was sure that there wouldn't be much left of that priest. It wasn't just the chicken; it was the fact that he had so much disrespect for them to hold it under their noses. Most of them probably wouldn't even touch the meat, just smack this arrogant grin out of his face, nothing more, maybe even continued their work after and Cosima wouldn't stop them for sure. She didn't believe in violence and never acted on it herself, but she understood the need of others to do so. Sometimes she wanted to punch things too but it never worked, not for her. The last time she tried to hit someone her fist slammed against a heavy stone wall and all of her anger shifted instantly into shame when she felt the burning pain in her hand. Violence wasn't something she used because it always ended badly for her but she knew that someday soon, she might need to overcome her internal dislike for it. Especially if things got down any further.

It just wasn't fair, but she stopped believing in fairness years ago. It also wasn't fair of her to scream at Sarah like this, she could see the young girl shaking a little, not used from such an outburst from her big sister. The last days had been hard on them and slowly Cosima lost her will to stay calm, she needed to act, she needed to do something. If she just sat here and waited, nothing would change. Her sisters were dying-all three of them-and Cosima wasn't willing to accept that without a fight. Maybe they weren't related by blood, but that didn't make them any less her family and her family was something she would protect at all cost.

Her sisters were there for her for as long as Cosima could remember. They'd met in the small orphanage in Alexandria, and they had protected each other ever since. As far as Cosima was concerned, that's what made them a family; not the same parents or crazy bunch of relatives. Hell, they probably were more of a family than the most blood related.

Since the pharaoh shut down the orphanage to have more space for the travelers, they had to move into the ghetto of Alexandria, Egypt's biggest city and home of the royal family. Residence of the great pharaoh; chosen by the gods themselves, blessed by the power of Ra and the biggest idiot alive.

If she just thought about the way he treated his subordinates, her blood began to boil. She's never witnessed an emperor who treated the poor and sick like insects, not worth to kiss the earth he walked upon. Not that she knew any other emperor, but nobody could be worse than him. He let his own people, citizens and slaves alike, starve and demanded them to work on that stupid pyramid so it would be finished whenever he died. Cosima couldn't wait for that day to come. She hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

The whole pyramid concept itself was idiotic. Building a something just to be buried in it, so your soul can find the way to the gods. As if it wouldn't be able to do so without. Where did the souls of people go who hadn't the gold or just weren't cruel enough to let people die for this big dream? The whole thing was highly illogical, but nobody else seemed to share her opinion in that matter.

She believed in the gods like everybody else. Isis, Ra, Horus, Osiris and the whole gang, especially of course her personal favorite, Thot, god of wisdom. But they were gods. Gods! She was pretty sure Osiris and Anubis would be able to find everybody's soul without a big stone pyramid literally pointing at it. If not, she'd need to reconsider if they were really worth being praised or even called gods.

"Please Cosima don't do it. They'll kill you if they find you." Sarah pleaded for the hundredth time that night. Sarah held her arms in a tight grip, but she'd lost a lot of strength over the last few weeks, so she couldn't muster as much as the usual energy bundle Cosima had to fight normally whenever she didn't let Sarah have her will. Of course, it wasn't without risk. But how else could she feed her sisters? Helena was already sick and almost too weak to look her into the eyes. Alison also had problems at the market today, breaking some pots as she was too weak to hold them for a longer time. Xander, the potter, didn't punish her for it but refused to pay her today as replacement for her inadequacy. Sarah got weaker too but she refused to let it show too much but in situations like this Cosima could feel it. It was Cosima's job to care for her sisters, she promised Siobhan that she would when they last parted and she would hold onto that promise at all costs.

"Don't worry, Sarah." Cosima said, taking her knives into her shoes. "I'll get in, take some food and get out again. Plain and simple. What can go wrong?" She tried to sound hopeful, sent her sister her cheerful grin when she turned to her but Sarah's raised eyebrow made it clear that she did a horrible job hiding her nervousness so she dropped the act immediately again. "Look, we need food and they have it. Maybe I'll even find a little bit of gold so we can live for a little while from it. There's no other way, Sarah. Helena won't make it much longer." Cosima said, keeping her voice low as her gaze turned immediately to the little room where her sister slept.

Cosima was right, Helena needed help. They'd all need help sooner or later. What other options did they have? They already worked as much as possible. Cosima worked at the pyramids, plaiting ropes to drag the stones or doing whatever she needed to, Alison worked at the market, selling pots to people who could still effort it and normally Sarah would work at the market too but Helena's sickness made her presence at home more needed. When her twin broke down in front of her last week it scared the small girl to death, making her pray to every god she knew that her sister got well again and not leaving her like Katja did before.

They couldn't achieve a healer but the sicker Helena got, the more they knew they needed one. The sisters were scared and Cosima's desperate plan showed exactly that, her desperation. Cosima didn't want a repeat of Katja's passing and wanted to do something to prevent another one of her sisters leaving her like that. Sarah knew that and it was the only reason that stopped her from following her out of the door and stopping her from her task. Now the only thing she could do was to pray for her sister and trust in her ability. "Thot, you better not let her down tonight!" The girl threatened Cosima's patron, knowing full well that there wasn't anything more she could. "Please come back, Cosima." The girl whispered before she lockedthe door to prevent any unwanted visitors or desperate parents from stealing their last bit of food.

\------------

She could feel it as soon as she stepped out of the door, the strong breeze blowing in her face, filling her senses with the smell of that part of the city; dirt, blood, sweat, the city in its purest form. Maybe this place wasn't the heart of Alexandria, but something different but equally important. It's true soul. The rotten soul of the city slowly crawled into the ghettos and took all of the broken dreams, hopes, miseries and desperation into this place just to attract more victims into it's down spiral. Here were the broken dreams of hundreds, maybe thousands of people who'd lost their hope of a better life a long time ago, just accepting their fate. Work and die as a slave for the pharaoh, or sell your body if you need to, get paid, take whatever you can to the temple so that the gods will bless your soul. That way maybe just your life in this world will be miserable and the next world will be better.

People here accepted their fate, most of them but not her. Not Cosima. She'd never accept what happened here. In just a few years the new ruler of Egypt has run the city into a spiral where it would lose itself in its depths someday. Each day the intensity of the city smell got worse and the strong wind blowing it directly into her face didn't help to control her anger either. Someone needed to stop this. Not a simple orphan, that's for sure. She didn't have the knowledge or the power to change anything. The only thing she could do was feed her family.

The strong smell got lost the closer she got to the temple. Now she only smelled the bittersweet taste of incense and a light ode of meat and fruits. No wonder. They were brought the whole way from around the city. Not just the slums. Also the palace and the trader area. Everybody wanted to make the weight on the scale of justice as heavy as possible, so it would sink into their favor. Normally Cosima loved the strong breeze in her nose, letting the wind play with her hair and enjoying the thought that the same wind that just pressed against her body could be under the wings of a falcon a few minutes later. Nothing else had the same amount of freedom in her eyes, not even the great chosen of Ra himself.

If the strong breezes wouldn't stop soon, her plan would fall apart. As strong as the wind was it was very likely that the guards would chose to get inside, avoiding the cold and stopping the plan Cosima worked on for days now. If she was forced to try again tomorrow there was a higher possibility to get caught. Cosima could feel her strength slowly fading away too. She hadn't properly slept or eaten in days, just the little bit of water the wardens gave her during her pyramid duty. The little amount of food she got she gave to her sisters, and she started slowly to feel the price for that, as her world turned blurry now and then. She almost wasn't able to resist the wind from knocking her of her feet. Tomorrow it would get even harder to fulfill the plan. Damn. Why couldn't anything work in her favor, just once?

Damn Thot, a little help would be nice. Maybe stopping the wind or just letting the guards stay out a little while longer, nothing more. Just make them stay; make them do what they always do. Please. Just this once.

"Fire! Fire! Help!" A panicked voice screamed and getting the attention of the guards to the small lane opposite the temple. Completely away from the roof of the house beside the temple where Cosima was located. And even more important, away from the small window in the wall, a few feet above the roof where Cosima planned to get in.

Finally, you're late Ramon. The young man came out of the shadows of the houses, stumbling to the guards. As expected, nobody moved. Why should they help a normal citizen when standing still in the cold night wind was so much less troublesome then to actually do something? Ramon got closer to them, reaching the first man and touching his arm.

"Please help me! Our house is burning down and my sister is in there still. She'll die if you don't help her." No reaction. But Cosima had to admire Ramon's acting skills for a second, not that she ever doubted that he could totally nail it. The small soot on his cheeks and his stumbling moves just made it more believable. Now it came to use that he broke his ankle last week, more like got it broken by a guard as he ran away from them. Unnecessary cruelty for stealing simple bread. Hopefully Ramon didn't go much further; he was playing with his life right now. If everything got as planned she would be able to repay him with some real food. More then simple bread.

"Please! My sister!" He screamed again, tugging the man forcefully away from his spot, at least he tried to, as he wasn't nearly strong enough to do so. Now the guard reacted. His arm shot forward, slapping Ramon into his face and made him fall down.

"If your sister survives this she may have not a brother to protect her anymore!" One of the guards screamed and the others just joined into his laughter, obviously enjoying the situation they found themselves in. If she could Cosima would whip this virtuous grin out of their faces but she needed to hope that they'd be punished when her break in was detected. Patience, Cosima.

Ramon was still lying on the ground and she was too far away to see if the smack hurt him enough to draw blood. Then again,he was used to this. Ramon knew how to take punches but he lay a little to still for her liking. Sometimes he was too good for his own good. He knew her plan, knew where she was right now but not looking at her even if she knew he wanted to, but he didn't. She needs to be fast now. The smoke from the small fire Ramon set with her help in a small fountain near the temple slowly made its way here. The wind blew the whole smoke into their direction now and Cosima silently thanked whoever was behind this that the wind finally turned in the right direction. As the fog was confusing the guards as their eyes started to tear up at the contact. Maybe she should've used a little less of the green powder. She wanted them, to cry but one of them seemed to have trouble breathing.

Go inside! They wouldn't care about you either! Tears never killed anyone. Go inside! You need the food!' Right! She did! The small window she stood in front of, well twenty feet below, was finally safe to be climbed into. Now she could get inside without the risk of them noticing her.

Her hand gripping into the hole in the stone wall, climbing slowly upwards to the entry. She had trouble getting a firm grip; there were a lot of loose stones which made climbing even harder. It wasn't easy finding the small moles in the building to get a better grip. Some were vents, some just witnesses of the buildings ages. But the smoke got to her too now. Slowly, her own tears clouded her sight and now she definitely knew that it was too much powder, fuck. She would fall. Maybe they were only five feet to climb but she didn't have the strength to do so. The wind really was against her today. Damn you, Amun.

Come on Cosima, you can do this. Just a few steps more.' She tried to motivate herself. Think of your sisters, Helena needs you! Sarah and Alison need you! You promised Siobhan! And you promised it yourself! Get your shit together and climb. You owe them! Sadly that wouldn't help her tears from falling and disturb her sight or stopping her arms from slowly losing their strength and making the possibility of her falling down more and more likely. At least the guards couldn't see her either so they wouldn't throw knives at her. Always look on the bright sight of life, right?

A small laugh. Beautiful, like a choir of the most beautiful singers and not even close. She knew that laugh. She loved it, she hated it, and she was desperate to hear it again.

'Cosima, come on, you can do this.' The voice whispered now and Cosima took all of her willpower to concentrate on the voice instead of the burning feeling in her eyes or her protesting arms. That didn't help her to see any better as she lost the grip on one of the holes and slipped a little. Luckily she could hold herself on the wall. This wasn't going to work, she was doomed.

'Cherie, you can't give up now. Not when you're so close. Cosima please! Just a few more steps.' How she loved that voice. She would do anything to just see a face to it. A light cough erupted her lungs. Probably not that much of a chance to find that face. She thought when she fought the burning in her lungs from ripping her insides apart. Again her fingers grabbed into nothingness as she now tried to grab anything she could hold onto. Ironic that her own trap for the guards, preventing them from seeing her climb, was going to be her death sentence now. This brought a small smile on her lips. At least it was completely in her hands and she couldn't blame anyone else for her death. 'Don't you dare to give up now! Not now! Not when you're so close! You promised you wouldn't give up, ever! Hold on to that promise! Do it for me! Cosima Please.'

Then climb yourself! She wanted to scream at that voice in her head, cursing it for making her fight. Begging her to do so and making her wonder why she obeyed, following the lead of a simple voice in her head. But it worked; she could feel the big fringe of the window. A few more seconds and she would be inside the temple, finally able to feed her family. She grabbed into the hole, searching for a solid place to grip and take her whole weight. There it was. Her goal. Her life saver. It took all her strength to get her weakened body into the window but she finally made it. It was done. She was inside.

She was on the third floor. At least Cosima assumed this from the height of the window. Unfortunately this didn't make it any better. She had no plans or knowledge of what to expect here. Nor did she know where the storage room was. She needed to orientate herself as fast as possible. The priests would be up soon for their daily rituals: screaming at people, taking their donations, telling them they needed to be more generous if they want Osiris to grant their souls a place in Iaru. Breaking into the temple was punished by death. She knew what she needed to do. Run!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here's a little key to explain the Egyptian stuff.
> 
> Definition:
> 
> Amun: King of the gods and god of the wind
> 
> Anubis: Protector of the dead and embalming
> 
> Isis: Goddess of health, marriage, and love
> 
> Osiris: God of the afterlife, death, life, and resurrection
> 
> Thot: God of Knowledge, Hieroglyphs and Wisdom
> 
> Scale of justice and place of Iaru: After your death your soul is in front Osiris, on one side the scale is weighted with all your good deeds and when your bad deeds aren't heavier than the good ones, your good and are granted in the great world of Iaru (something like heaven where everything is perfect)
> 
> I hope I didn't forget anything, if so just ask.
> 
> Don't know if this inner voice thing actually works but I kind of like it so I thought I leave it in, you'll see why. Hopefully you weren't confused, if so say and I'll need to think of something different.
> 
> I don't know if Orphan Black and Egypt can actually work together but like I said it wouldn't leave me alone and I just love Egypt and gods and Orphan Black so it came natural to me to join them.
> 
> I really hope you guys like it and feel free to review and tell me what you think. ;)
> 
> Julie


	2. Chapter 2

The third floor is deserted, but she almost collided with a man on the second.

Panicked, she ran to the first floor. There’s a door in front of her. The storage room. It had to be it. A big door, decorated with symbols and ornaments, signs of Renenutet **,** goddess of nourishment **.** Cosima managed to hide behind a big pillar when a man closed the door behind him, carrying a lot of supplies to prepare breakfast. Damn, she needed to hurry. How long would it take the rest of the temple residents to wake up? She needed to grab some food and get out.

Thankfully, she had a plan. Ramon would wait under the window where she climbed in and send her a signal when she could throw the food out safely. Then, she'd hide until the big ceremony started. Today they would pray to Renenutet for a great cropand to Sobek, to beg him not to flood the fields with his wrath. Cosima would attend the ceremony; all citizens were allowed to attend, so she wouldn’t attract any attention. After the ritual and prayers, she'd walk out of the entrance hale, like everyone else. At least, that was the plan. Right now she had the feeling that she would need much more luck than she originally intended.

Cosima quickly looked to her left and right before she rushed to the big storage door. The door was heavy but she made it, it as fast as she could behind her. Just now she allowed herself a short pause to breathe as she leaned against the door, closing her eyes and let it all sink in. She was finally here. Everything she planned had worked out so far; she was halfway through. Her family would have a chance.

The room was filled with so many different smells that she needed to take a deep sniff to differentiate all the flavors as they immediately flooded her mind. Watermelon, pineapple, oranges, apples, mandarins, pears **,** strawberry, cheese, milk, chicken, pork, fish: everything she dreamed of on a daily basis was now here in the same room as her. As well as a confused looking young man in a white robe standing in front of her. _Shit!_

The man was shocked. His wide eyes and his open mouth told her that much. Cosima froze. If he could stay in his shocked state, for a few minutes more so she could take at least a little out of here.

"Who..." he stuttered. Would've been too easy, of course. Cosima sighed and mentally prepared herself to run. "Who are you?" He didn't sound sure. Like he didn't know if his question was even appropriate. Maybe she could fool him a little, just so he wouldn’t scream for the guards. _Charmer_ _smile_ _on,_ _Cosima. Take a deep breath and act as you totally belong here. You can do this!_

"Thank Isis I finally find someone! Took ages!" She hoped her voice sounded much more confident for him than in her own ears. A small drop of sweat ran over her face but she didn't dare to rub it away, hoping he wouldn't notice her nervousness. Now that she eyed him closer she wasn't so sure of his age anymore. Maybe boy was a better notation for him, he was just tall, taller than her, but that went for most man. He was a little stocky. Not as much as the old priests who barely could set one foot in front of the other, but still a lot bigger than the citizens Cosima was used to. He probably lived here or came from a rich family. A lot of them sent their children here to educate them.

"Well, I'm new here. And one of the priests sent me to get him a few supplies for his breakfast." _Please play along, please don't be suspicious, please don't ask who sent me!_

"Who sent you?"

_Of course…_

"I don't know, man. I'm new here and I'm happy to even have found this room." The boy nodded but didn't seem totally convinced either.

"I'm not good with names. He was a little taller than me, short grey hair, obviously enjoyed to eat, if you know what I mean." She grinned and showed the corpulence with her hands. The description was vague and could match every one of the older priests. Hopefully, the young man didn't notice that too. But he didn't question her either, just stood there watching her.

"Well I'll just take this basket and leave you alone again with the rest. You know how they hate to wait, right?" He nodded and watched her take the handle of the basket on her right side. The man seemed to be a little overwhelmed right now, so Cosima decided to push her luck. "He asked me especially for some pork and chicken, could you please." She pointed behind him and the man immediately turned around and brought her what she asked for, laying it into the fruit basket Cosima held. "Thank you. That's so nice of you. I probably will get a speech for taking so long, you're a life saver." He nodded. "Maybe I should take this basket too. Who knows if one will be enough. I mean there's a lot of space to fill, right?" Cosima joked and took the handle of a second basket without any reply from him. "Could you please open that for me?" She asked but he already was on the way anyway. _Sweet and nice. They'll train that out of you buddy. Such a waste._

"Thanks a lot, man."

"I live to serve." He replied with a keen smile and Cosima lightly bowed in front of him. "Then I’m glad I was there to witness you selfless act, oh big servant."  

"I'm Scott."

"Cosima." _Idiot! You can't tell him your real name!_ She scolded herself but the harm was already done.

"And I have to go now. Bye, Scott. Maybe I’ll see you around."

\--

Cosima ran up the stairs to the third floor. Second room on the right—no—left side. Her time was slowly running out. She planned to search for a place to hide before everybody got up. But she already ran by a lot of people and she could hear voices all over the place. Obviously everybody here was an early riser or maybe they just decided to make her day a lot more miserable. Maybe they needed to make some preparations for the ceremony. She hadn't taken that in consideration that priest did last minute preparations too, like normal people. In her mind they were just perfectly organized, all knowing super human beings. It was a little refreshing to know they had something in common.

She should try to climb out of the window again, with so many people around the danger of getting caught was increasing by the second. But climbing down was so much more difficult than climbing up. She wouldn’t be able to see the holes in the wall to get a grip on. If she stayed her and someone saw her and her not very temple like clothes, it was far likely they wouldn't be as fooled as easily as Scott. That even one person believed her bad act was beyond her. The boy seemed to have the nativity of a child and probably couldn't imagine someone breaking in here. Maybe couldn't fathom a reason to do so. Lucky boy.

She found the room again and instantly went to the window. One short look on the ground and she could see Ramon standing there, like they planned. There was a small bundle of clothes in front of him; he probably stole them from the roofs around the area. Clever. So whatever she'd throw out wouldn't bruise. The women would need to wash their clothes again. A whole day of work was lost for them because they decided to dry them outside. But on the bright side at least there would be clothes they could wash. Sometimes even those got stolen.

Cosima forced herself to stay calm. He needed to give her the signal. He glanced around again before he waved at her and seconds after that she could see bright sparkles of light to her right side. The sun began to rise. No one would dare to look up here; right into the face of Ra, god of the sun. Looking into his face has caused a lot of people blindness, a sign of Ra’s wrath for there blatantly. She hurried to empty the basket but also trying to strike the cloth tower as precise as possible. Then she let the empty basket fall and repeated the same scenario with the second basket. It worked. Nobody saw her. Nothing seemed to be broken from the fall or at least not much. But would the small bundle also save her from breaking?

It was high, far higher than it looked like from below. Shit, she would die if she jumped. Maybe she should wait and follow her original plan. Nobody had come into the room yet, and if she stayed quiet, maybe...

A cacophony of loud noises rose from the second floor. Nobody should be here now. At least not so loud and definitely not that many people shouting and searching, checking each room. They detected her break in. Scott probably came to his mind. She could choose now. Dying from jumping out of a window or dying by the hands of the guards. Suddenly, the cloths weren't so unattractive anymore. It would be faster than whatever the guards would do with her and there was still a small chance that she could survive this. She needed to try. One last glance out and she saw that Ramon already put everything into the baskets again, if this work by some miracle they just needed to take the baskets and run. _You can do this!_ Taking a deep breath in and forcing her eyes to stay open, she put one leg out of the window when she saw Ramon wave widely with his arms, trying to stop her from this stupid idea. From this high he looked kind of funny, like a panicked bird trying to fly away. The noises on the floor got louder; they were in a room next to her. She sat on the window now, both legs were hanging in the air. She just needed to aim for the cloths and let go. She needed to let go. _Let go!_ But it was so damn high!

Her thoughts raced, fathoming every possible scenario. Death, life, death, life. A man stormed into the room. He grabbed her by the arm and tugged her forcefully inside. Cosima tried to fight him, tightening her grip on the window frame. She even tried to push herself out of the frame, but the man was too strong. He pulled her back with brutal force and she landed hard on her head inside the small room. Suddenly, everything was starting to blur. The voices got sounded fuzzy and far away, but she could still feel the two hands holding her arms. To make things worse, the man now laid his whole weight against her body, pressing her on the ground, preventing her from moving even an inch.

"Who are you?" He shouted in her ear and Cosima could see the small vein on his head pulsating. This man was nothing like Scott, not shocked or bluffed. Just angry. Not a good sign.

"I'm.....I'm...." she couldn't answer him. Not because she didn't want to but she simply couldn't. She couldn't breathe properly. This man suddenly had his hand on her neck and forceful prevented her from doing so. He couldn’t be so dumb to actually expect an answer from her like this. Kill and ask later was a typical procedure from the guards of the Pharaoh. This was it. Her last seconds.

 _'No, Cosima fight! You have to fight, please! Not like this! Cosima please!’_ The angelic voice begged her again but she also sounded defeated, like she knew it was hopeless too. Cosima imagined hearing the voice crying, which was impossible but a much nicer sound than the man’s angry questions.

Slowly, her world darkened and she almost couldn't hear the high-pitched scream that came from the entrance. Someone was screaming her name and Cosima swore it sounded exactly like the voice in her head—the voice from her angel. But this time was different. The voice wasn’t clear, not like she was coming from inside her head; she was as blur as the man’s voice. Maybe her mind was playing tricks with her? Or could it be Osiris last gift for her? Granting her one last wish before he took her soul to judgment? The angel sounded so worried and panicked, not as carefree as she was used to. The angel shouldn’t sound like that. It didn’t feel right.

She heard her whisper her name again; much softer this time. There was a light touch on her cheek, cherishing her. "Cosima." she repeated it like a mantra and coming from the angles lips her name sounded like a praise.

If the last thing she ever heard was the angel's voice calling her name, she'd die happily.If the last thing she ever heard was the angel’s voice calling her name, she'd die happily.


	3. Chapter 3

She heard it again. The voice. She was humming a steady rhythm. Cosima could swear she'd heard the song before, knew the words the rhythm danced to, but her brain couldn't process right now. The whole world was a blur. Her attempts to open her eyes failed miserably but Cosima didn't mind. Wherever she was it was warm, it felt safe, and it felt familiar. She wouldn't mind staying here for a little while longer.

There was someone with her. The humming stopped momentarily and she felt hands on her forehead. Soft and warm, trying to be as light as possible when they took the wet cloth from her forehead just to replace it only a few seconds later with a new one. The cold wasn't uncomfortable; it was refreshing in a way, and the hammerin her head slowly reduced its drums. Slowly, the little sounds she heard made sense. Indeed someone sung, quiet, not to disturb her but with so much heart and emotion that Cosima needed to brace herself not to cry. Someone held her hand, strong enough for her to feel it but not to hurt her, and with such an intensity that she doubt she'd ever have her hand to herself again. The voice was speaking to someone, making it clear not to leave her alone.

\----------

Surely a little sleep would be fine. Only a short while. She used the last of her energy to tighten the grip on the warm hand that held her close. The woman needed to stay with her and be there when she woke up. And she could swear she felt a light pressure on her hand, trying to reassure her that much.

"When will she wake up?"

"I don't know, princess. She seems weak; maybe her body just needs a little more rest. Isis will take care of her." The old man tried to convince the young woman in front of him.

"As she did before?" The answer is sarcastic and probably too harsh and uncalled for, but she can't help it. Isis hadn't done anything for her, not in all the years she prayed to her and even now she played a cruel trick on her.

"The great goddesses brought her here, didn't she? So we can help her." His answer was bold considering his echelon but he knew she wouldn't punish him. No one would beside the Pharaoh himself. Varus, best healer of the Egypt and also one of the Pharaoh's most gifted confidants. Everybody trusted his opinion, believed whatever he's saying. He was the best. But not even he could guarantee the princess that the unconscious woman in front of her would be fine again, no matter how much she prayed to Isis for it.

"You have some interesting friends, princess. If you don't mind me saying, she doesn't seem like the servants you usually surround yourself with."

"She's not a simple servant," her voice is strict, not willing to have this conversation with him. The Pharaoh and she'll have it soon enough and her story isn't perfect yet. Going into much detail now would leave opportunities to blow it later, being polite wasn't worth the risk.

"Is there anything more you can do for her?"

"I'm afraid not, your highness." He replied with a bow.

"Then please go. Leave me alone." Her tone doesn't allow any protest and he wouldn't dare either. His work here was done. Wounds closed, scratches cleaned, the small bruises on her arm and neck would fade with time. Only food, water and rest would help the small woman now and the princess was determined to give her as much as she needed and more.

For her, it was unusual to have such an investment in other people. Not that she was cold, but to Varus it always seemed like the princess wasn't a deeply caring person but he also never witnessed her with friends; she didn't have many, and none he personally knew. When the young man came running into the palace, saying the princess demanded his presence for an emergency in the temple his interest was raised. Normally he only treated the people in the palace, royal visitors at best. This young woman in front of him was weak, her body in a bad shape, hands scratched from hard work, not someone he would be ordered to help normally. They were a waste of his talent as such people didn't survive long enough so that they could repay him. An weakened body, caused probably by starving and furthermore hurt by the cruelty of a guard who wanted to make a name for himself. Bad combination. The head injury was probably the worst but as soon as he could stop the bleeding, the sobbing from the princess died down and she finally stopped to whisper in a language no one could understand. Her recovery would take time.

He took all of his supplies and went to the door before he turned to her, one last time. "When she wakes up: no arguments, no fights, no rushed movements, no hard work. Her shoulder needs to heal and her body needs to rest. Try to go easy on her. She may have trouble speaking or memory loss. Give her time, your highness." With those words he left but she wasn't even looking at him, just acknowledging his instructions with a few short nods.

\---

There was that song again. Soft, rhythmical, lovely. Someone stroked her hair, careful not to touch the spot on her head, where she feels a small burning. Soft feather light touches, familiar but insecure. One in her hair, the other floating over her leg and arm. Hands so soft she doubted they ever did something more as being drown in milk. Fingers played with her curls. Not one second was a hand not touching her, always moving like she needed to touch every part of her but careful not to leave any marks. The song changed again and Cosima felt herself starting to cry for no reason. She knew she should open her eyes, make herself known, show this woman that she was awake and very much aware what she's doing but Cosima didn't want to.

She felt so warm and safe. She hasn't felt this delighted in years; she could lay there for hours with the stranger touching her like that and hearing her angelic voice but suddenly the humming stopped as well as the strokes. A thumb rubbed over her cheek, caressing away the tears which betrayed her. The hand rested on her cheek for a little longer than necessary before it's taken away or is it just wishful thinking?

"You're awake." It was a statement, not a question. Cosima considered faking sleep again but the voice seemed sure and Cosima had the feeling that her bluff wouldn't work for a second.

"Yeah, I am." she could barely get the words out. Her throat felt dry, like she walked through the desert for days. The woman beside her pressed something against her mouth. Her voice must've been bad if even she could notice after a few words.

"Drink." She said, and for a moment Cosima thinks about refusing the offer. She doesn't know this woman and her number one rule was never to accept anything from people she doesn't know. It was a habit everyone in the ghetto shared with her. When you lived long enough in there you knew how desperate and ruthless the human race could be. Especially when you're hungry. Hunger slowly eats all of your morals away. The need to survive always comes first to them even if it means killing others. But something about this woman made her forget all of those instincts. She took a slow sip.

The liquid in the pot wasn't water like she'd expected. It was viscous, reminding her on the potion Siobhan prepared for her whenever she was sick. Like Siobhan's drink, this one also tasted like old kitchen rubbish. Was it so hard to get at least a little taste into it? Maybe a little note of orange or pineapples wasn't too much to ask for, was it? She never saw Siobhan drink that stuff herself.

'The bad taste is a part of the medicine, love.' She always said. 'Otherwise you and your sisters would always want it.' There was a truth in it, probably. At least, Helena would invent the most interesting sicknesses to get a little bit of sweets. Siobhan just knew them all too well.

"Thank you." Cosima whispered and the one word was enough to feel her throat was less sore already. Aside from the taste, this potion was a magical health tonic indeed. Her head hurt much less. She probably could open her eyes if she wanted to and how she wanted to see a voice to that beautiful song she previously heard. So she did.

At first, the light was too bright for her eyes and Cosima felt like Ra himself burned into her eyes and she needed to close them again instantly. Her whole body contracted a little from the sudden pain and Cosima could swear she heard a muffled "Merde" before eager hands were everywhere on her body again. But now she opened her eyes again, just in time to see how a head blocked the sun from her view as the woman leant over her, blonde curls shining in the sunlight and the softest eyes she ever saw.

"Are you alright?" The young woman asked. Worry evident in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, no worries." She stutters. Who was this girl? Isis herself couldn't be more beautiful than her.

"Are you sure? He hit your head pretty hard." The womans thumb floated lightly over the injury. Hopefully it wouldn't leave a scar. On the other hand, she got caught; the punishment for stealing and breaking into the temple was death. A scar would be the least of her worries now. Who'd take care of her sisters now? Ramon? He had his own family to feed.

His mother died a few years ago. His father was old and his body marked from working on the pyramid for years, the man barely could make it day to day. Eva, his little sister was too young to work and Ramon tried to shield her from everything as good as possible. Most of the time they could afford the food for three, but never for six people.

Alison's work on the market or Sarah's way of getting money were unreliable. Helena...if—when she recovered from her fever maybe she could work there too. But for how long? None of them could work on the pyramid, like Cosima did. They were to young and small. Children their age were sent to close holes or climb inside to repair something but often didn't come back. It would be a death sentence. How could she save them now?

Slowly she felt how her throat tightened again, this time without the mans influence but with the same intensity, maybe even worse. Breathing got harder. Every deep breath she took sounded ragged. Like a bird that got hunted, it screamed desperately to get away but also knowing the inevitable.

"Shhhhh chérie, calm down. Everything is fine." Right, the woman. She was still with her, probably took care of her. Why? If they were going to kill her anyway why take the effort?

"You're safe here, Cosima. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. I won't let that happen." The pressure on her right hand was like an anchor to Cosima now, taking her back into the real world. "Just take a deep breath and calm down. Slow breaths. In and out. You're safe here. Everything is going to be fine." The woman said before she kissed her forehead.

Normally Cosimas inner cynic would make her reply bitterly. Easy for you to say, blonde goddess of beauty. But she didn't. For the first time in years, Cosima just believed in the words that were spoken to her. Letting the woman stroke her neck tenderly with the hand that didn't hold her own in a deathly grip. Two touches from the same person and yet completely different.

Whoever the blond goddess was, she knew how to push her buttons. Cosima's panic subsided, leaving her with the warm feeling of the womans touches alone. She felt how softly the fingers on her neck stroked over her pulse point. Slowing it down like it was the most natural thing in the world, and Cosima needed all her willpower not to fall asleep again. Her body felt so warm and safe here.

"How do you know my name?" The strokes stopped and Cosima opened her eyes just in time to see a pair of shocked amber eyes stare at her before she turned her head away. She felt the delicate fingers taken away from her neck as well but there was a light, last touch before the hand was completely taken back, like the woman couldn't help herself. But the firm grip on her hand remained, maybe loosened a bit but at least it was still there.

The woman didn't face her for a few more seconds, but Cosima could see her taking a few deep breaths and whispering something she couldn't decipher before she finally looked back at her. Lips raised to a smile that was obviously faked; she could see that instantly, her eyes also lost the sparkle they showed just seconds ago. It seemed almost like this woman was completely replaced but that was impossible. Cosima immediately tightened the grip on her own hand when she felt the shift in the woman's demeanor.

"What do you remember?" she whispered, afraid for the answer.

"Well I remember being tackled by this human battering ram."

"And before that?"

Was this a trap? Did she want Ramon's name? Knowing how she found her way into the temple?

"I don't know?"

"That's a question, not an answer." Smart ass.

"If you could specify you question maybe I would know what you want to hear." Was that a smile on the womans lips? Did she think that this was funny?

"I don't want to know how you broke into the temple. It's obvious anyway." Cosima raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Obvious? Then enlighten me. How?" This could still be a trap. In fact, it was most likely a trap. Why did she allow herself to be challenged by this girl? Because she needed days to form a plan to get in and this woman claimed to have deciphered it in a few minutes? Her hurt pride could get her killed one day, Siobhan prophesied this for years. But this girl... Did she just smile? Was this woman really challenging her?

"You climbed. From the roof beside the temple up to the window where we found you." Cosima didn't know what hurt more. That the woman really solved the break in or the causality she said it with. Not impressed in the slightest. It was at least thirty feet from the roof and without any aid; she earned herself a little allowance. Maybe that was the reason she formed her mouth like a four year old when she replied.

"That's pretty high to climb." Did the woman really laugh at her now?

"Difficult yes, but not impossible. Not for a monkey like you." She rubbed her thumb over Cosima hand and again all anger vanished. Clearly she played with her and she couldn't find it in herself to be angry with her when she saw this playful grin directed at her.

"Am I right?" She refused to say it out loud but she needed to acknowledge the womans intelligence, it was only fair. So she nodded and the grin got even brighter.

"And before that? Why did you climb in in the first place?"

"You ask a lot of questions for someone I know nothing about." Immediately the grin was replaced by this deep frown again and Cosima cursed herself for her own answer. This woman should smile, always. It should be physical impossible for her not to. Her surprise only grew when she laid a hand over her heart before she held it to her to shake.

"Delphine."

"Cosima. But you knew that already." Cosima could see her smile again; obviously she found her insecurity entertaining.

"Enchantée."

What? What did she say? Did she just curse her? What did that mean? A strange priest word? Did she insult her? But Cosima highly doubted it. This goddess couldn't insult anyone and if so then she could use her phrase against her.

"Encha..." Or maybe not. She couldn't remember more. "Well – um - hi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope I didn't mess up the Enchantée scene- Just wanted to be at least a little different than the original. I didn't know any French before Orphan Black (Tv educates, obvs) so that was literally my reaction there. ;) Tell me what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

"So how do you know my name?" Cosima asked and softened her grip on Delphines hand.

"You told me yourself." The princess answers nonchalant and let her fingers gently graze Cosimas pulse again before she pulled her hand out of her grasp, unknown to her what she unleashed in the shorter woman. The familiar tingles originated from her pulse and spread from there through her whole body; like fire ignited by a small spark. She had to resist the urge to close her eyes and enjoy the feeling for a few seconds longer, to linger on the slightest memory of the touch. She must've hit her head harder than she anticipated if some unknown woman’s touch made her feel like this. 

Maybe her confusion made her following words sound harsher than she meant them to be. "How could I? I've never seen you before." Cosima was sure she would remember that. This blonde goddess was no one she could easily forget. Even Ra praised her beauty when he let the rays of his glory shine through the small window, framing the beautiful woman. Her blonde curls glowed now as bright as the gold statues beside the palace entrance. Isis had some serious competition on earth right now.

Cosima had the feeling that she was staring for an inappropriate amount of time, but she couldn't take her eyes away from Delphine. The woman’s hazel eyes starred right back, examining her as well, only with probably less admiration and more curiosity. Of course she was a fascinating creature for this woman; maybe the first poor person she ever encountered closely in her privileged life. She was the new animal, one nobody had seen before but wanted to explore before it vanished completely. 

If she only knew how wrong she was. There was no insecurity in her mind that Delphine didn't mirror. What she could see in the blonde’s eyes wasn't curiosity for a stranger but pure admiration paired with unbelieving and hope. Hope for something she prayed for years but never became real. Not until now.

"You have. How should I know it otherwise?"

Well, Cosima could think of many ways for that. Cosima wasn't a common name in the city, so it couldn't be pure guessing luck. They lived in the capitol of Egypt and it was easy to get the right information if you know the right people. Spies, eavesdropping or maybe she was a sleep talker and her sisters just never commented...- she would stick with eavesdropping for now. Maybe Ramon screamed her name when he saw her almost fall out of the window.

"When was this?" It was the first time Delphines let her glance wander through the rest of Cosima’s body, which was covered by a thin white blanket made of the finest silk. After she screamed for help and demanded for the royal healer, Delphine had ordered a guard to bring the soft coat from her own quarters in the temple. 

She'd noticed the condition of the other woman’s body; seen the scratches, the scars and how the bones were more present than healthy. Everything covered now by the silk blanket but not from her mind, and never from her memory. There were many differences since the last time she saw that perfect body. To cover Cosima with a blanket brought the princess an illusion of provided safety for her friend, at least for the moment.

"A few years ago, I guess. It has been a while." She answers elusive.

"Years?” Cosima was shocked. “Are you sure?"

"Oui. I haven't seen you in a long time." 'More like an eternity.’

"That's..." Cosima wanted to say impossible, but it didn't feel right. There was this slight hesitance in the gorgeous womans voice that tingled something in her mind she simply couldn't catch. Impossible was definitely not the right word for it.

"Must've been a long time ago then."

"Very long indeed." Delphine whispered and Cosima felt like she'd melt under the blondes gaze when the princess settled her eyes on her once again. Those curious hazel eyes seemed to absorb every twitch of her muscles, every wink and every rise and fall her chest made. As well as the slight red color Cosima’s cheeks took on from the attention the woman gave her. 

Attention wasn't something she got a lot of, at least not from people who didn't want to rob her. Standing in front of the god of death, Osiris himself, couldn't be more difficult. Definitely not something she would be looking forward to.

"Where have we met?" The brunette asked trying to get rid the blonde’s stare but it seemed to have the opposite effect as Delphine’s glance bored into her even more before she formed an answer.

"We've met at a market. Like I said, it was a long time ago." The way Delphine stared at her, Cosima couldn't help but remember how Siobhan looked. Every time she suspected her to have broken the rules at the orphanage but had no evidence. She never experienced such an intense stare before or after her former guardian again, like no lie could ever be hidden.

Nervous, Cosima turned her head to the side, regretting it instantly when her world slowly started to blur from the sudden movement. It took all of her concentration not to falter and alarm the other woman on her bedside.

"Then I'm honored that I made such an impression that you're still able to remember my name." There it was again, the restrained laugh Cosima learned to love so much.

"You've made quite an impression indeed." She could feel that Delphine hadn't lifted her glance so Cosima had no choice but to continue her look around the rest of the room, looking everywhere but at Delphine. The furniture was simple; a single bed, a few baskets, a table, nothing to justify her interest for more than a few seconds and Cosima knew she was making a fool of herself in front of the princess.

"Sounds embarrassing on my part. So, whatever it was, I'm sorry and should probably apologize for it."

"Non it..." but Delphine stopped her reassurance when a man stormed through the door.

"Princess, are you alright?" Delphine sighed and finally turned her gaze away from the other woman. To her surprise it didn’t bring as much relief as she’d expected but a wave of loneliness and Cosima wanted to turn the blonde womans head turn to her again.

"I'm fine, Cal." She reassured him, annoyed from his intrusion.

"Are you sure?" He crossed the room fast, standing in front of Delphine just seconds after they heard the door open. When he was convinced she was unharmed he eyed Cosima. It was different than Delphine’s gaze; his eyes weren't warm or reassuring but full of mistrust for the stranger. Cosima’s instincts went on full alarm mode, reminding her to be careful.

"Oui, but I can't say the same for my friend." Delphine said and pressed Cosimas hand a little. "Paul attacked her quite brutally, she has bruises all over her body and her shoulder needed Varus's attention. Your second command completely overreacted. You need to discipline him for his behavior." Delphine demanded and Cal could see how she had to ball her fists to control her anger. A trait he never saw on her before. This wasn't the first time Paul acted out of line but never had Delphine felt the need to punish him more than she did now.

"I'm sorry but his reaction was adequate. Someone was in the temple who wasn't supposed to be there." Cal started to justify his friend’s reaction. "The person could've been a danger to you or the other apprentices, the priests as well as the civilians who'll come for the ceremony today. We're responsible for the safety of everybody in here, Delphine. Paul did what he thought was the right thing. After the last events more than ever." As soon as he ended Delphine was on her feet, standing just inches away from him. To Cosima’s amazement the man didn't flinch from the sudden aggressive behavior, not even as his princess began to scream at him.

"He strangled an innocent, obviously much weaker woman, Cal. Not another guardian or an assassin like he is trained to do. He was just seconds away from killing her." Delphine said, pointing at Cosima who still lay in the bed on the opposite wall. Instinctively the young woman rubbed her neck where Paul had pressed his hands against, feeling the ghost of his touch again as well as the burning her own touch created.

What Cosima couldn't see were the deep purple marks Paul’s touch had left on her. Ten fingers pressed around such a delicate figure, every single finger brightly exposed to the world. Since the marks started to show themselves, Delphine felt the urge to punch Paul herself. Cosima already looked so fragile but the purple bruises just worsened this impression tenfold. She was glad Cosima didn't have to see them as well.

"Maybe he's a little brisk but he just tried to protect you and the people inside. He did the right thing, Delphine, and you know it." Cal replies, holding Delphines gaze with ease.

"I still demand that he gets punished. Next time he may kill someone and I won't tolerate such behavior from my guards, do you understand?"

The blonde girl had fire, Cosima was impressed and in Cal’s place she'd be far too scared to disobey her, but obviously Cal was much braver than her.

"The guards are under my orders, princess. You are under my protection and Paul did the right thing. I won't punish him for doing as he was told. Like it or not Delphine, the Pharaoh put me in command and ordered your protection as a first priority." 

Before she had a chance to reply Cal took a few steps away from Delphine and stood by Cosima’s bedside. His movements were so quick and fluid that she had to close her mouth after the shock went off. Behind him, she could see Delphine grabbing something from underneath her robe but not taking it out. The princess only watched Cal like a hawk its prey, observing every move and tightening her grip on the small dagger she hid underneath her clothes. Preparing for every scenario this moment could turn into. Estimating how far she was willing to go or needed to go, as she knew there were no limits for her, not for Cosimas safety.

"But as I said, Paul was under my orders so your injuries are my fault too." Cal addressed Cosima, kneeling in front of the bed so they were eye to eye. "I'm very sorry my lady and hope that you'll forgive him and me for his roughness." He turned his head to the side, back to the blonde and Cosima had the feeling that his gesture meant that he wasn't just speaking to her. Before his attention was back on her again. "He just tried to do the right thing. Our princess is very important to us and we'll do whatever it takes to protect her." Cal said and closed his eyes before he laid two fingers over his heart and bowed in front of her. 

It was a gesture pleading for her forgiveness. Her forgiveness. She broke into the temple, an act punished by death and those two fought over a few bruises and the behavior of a guard who only did his job. Was she still dreaming? That was absolutely not what Cosima had expected or what should happen at all.

"Yeah, I can see that." The brunette said and added with a small smile to Delphine. "Can totally understand that, though. I consider myself lucky he stopped, who knows if I had in his place. No worries. Totally forgiven."

Cal kissed his fore- and middle finger as he laid them over his heart again and he bowed down one last time. "Thank you very much. You're very generous."

"No problem. Like I said, complete understanding here."

"Which leads me to the other reason I'm here.” Cal lifted his head and Cosima saw the change of topic in his whole body posture. 'Let the trouble begin.'

“What exactly is your name and how and why were you in the temple?" He still knelt in front of her, staring at her like he could see everything she even thought to hide. The man who apologized to her mere seconds ago was gone, replaced by the captain of the royal guards, Cosima suspected him to be. 

There were rumors on the street. Cal, the Lion. His beard only contributed to this byname. From what she heard in the taverns, he'd fought many battles in his young age and never lost one of them. He wasn't just a strong soldier who beat his opponents with pure force, he used his brain to win and Cosima admired his way. There were many fights and the same amount of men who got beaten by the Lion. So many fights he was destined to lose but he always left them as victor. There was a legendary fight with the former lead of the guards, Vic, Cosima still heard about even days after it happened. Both men were undefeated until then. One of them had to lose this title after the fight and the bets were on Vic’s side. Unfortunately, Cal proved them wrong again and Vic had to retire from his former position, lucky to get away with his life.

Helena’s friend Jesse was a big fan of Cal, as he earned some money when the guards wanted to bet on the fight for the leadership. Naturally most of the men bet on Vic and lost. All of them were like Vic, strong but stupid. Otherwise they'd be suspicious when a young, obviously poor young man offered them a bet who they were sure couldn't lose. The guards who refused to place a bet had this knowing grin and sent Jesse to the 'perfect candidates' or ‘victims’, as Jesse called them.

Cal tried to change the former guard standards, wanted them to train differently, sent them to help into the city and change their demeanor to the citizens but it was hard to execute such big changes when the Pharaohs’ personal adviser blocked most of his ideas, so Cal needed to work with what he got. 

Never had she thought that she had to fear the Lion of the Pharaoh would strike on her. Maybe Delphine was okay with her break in and out but Cal wouldn't let it go as easily. Why should he? It was his job. She wasn't even sure why Delphine didn't let him throw her into the lion’s pit. Great Thot what has she gotten herself into?

"I'm..."

"I already told you she's a friend of mine, Cal. I know her from before I came here. Her name is Beth. You remember the name right? I told you stories about her." Delphine interfered and was instantly back at Cosimas bedside, standing now between Cal and Cosima as a living shield. Cal couldn't look at her or touch her without pushing Delphine out of the way, which he wouldn't dare.

"I thought your friend didn't come with you when you got here."

"As you can see she came to visit me and instead of a happy reunion she almost got strangled." The reproof wasn't lost to him but he ignored it again. True, the princess told him stories about her former life and her friends and there was someone named Beth but he hadn't pictured her like that. This woman didn't look like she was living in a palace. More like a worker at the pyramids, weak, gaunt and filthy. The clothes wouldn't be worn in a palace from any country either.

"Is this true?" Cal asked and looked around his princess to observe the other womans reaction. Delphine wanted to say something but was beaten when Cosima nodded enthusiastic. Closing her eyes as the dizziness returned.

"If you don't mind me asking milady, what are you doing here? Why wasn't the palace informed that a friend of princess Delphine is on her way here?" He wasn't going to let it go, Delphine needed to think of something fast.

"This is none of your business Cal. Beth is my friend and my friends don't need to be investigated by you when they just want to surprise me with a visit." Her answer was sharp and her urgency to make him leave didn't get lost by Cal but Delphine didn't have a choice. If Cosima said just one wrong word there was nothing she would be able to do to protect her.

"Varus said that she needs rest so I ask you to leave right now, Cal otherwise I'll order you to." He hesitated at first his leg twitching between a step for and back and Delphine prepared herself for another argument but he eventually bowed to her, laid his right hand over his heart, as a sign that he would obey her wishes, before he turned around and left the room, closing the wooden door quite soundly.

"You just lied to the captain of the royal guards."

"Oui. I know." Delphine answered and again Cosima wished she'd turn her eyes back to her so she could decipher her behavior. Instead the blonde just starred at the closed door, replaying in her mind how it slowly closed as the realization of what she just did sunk in.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why?"

"Why did you break in in the first place?"

"I can't tell you that and you know it." Cosima answered immediately. Whatever Delphine’s reasons were she couldn't dare to trust the blond with the knowledge of her sisters too.

"Did you break in to kill someone, Cosima? Did you plan to hurt someone here?" Her voice was quiet and she needed to listen closely to be sure she didn't miss anything.

"What? No, why should I?" she answered, shocked that Delphine even considered it.

"Regardless what you would've said to Cal or anybody else they would judge you for what you could've done, not for the real reason you were here. They judge it with prevention. If one person can get in, others can too. Being royal is dangerous these days, Cosima. Caution keeps us alive."

"How do you know I'm worth disobeying your caution? Being alone with me could be part of my plan and I could try to kill you any second now."

Delphine responds instantly, like she just waited for the question. "Because I .." but she didn't finish, instead the blonde bit herself on her under lip and started again. "Because you're not the murderer type, Cosima. I see things like this." The blonde ended with an unconvincing smile and left Cosima with the nagging feeling that this wasn't what she originally planned to say.

"You should try to sleep again. The healers’ orders were clear. You need rest and nobody will disturb you here anymore."

"I can't. I have to go home again." Cosima said and tried to push her legs out of bed. How long had she been here anyway? Her sisters would be worried. Had Ramon brought them her part of the food? She needed to get back home to them. Make sure Helena was getting better and Sarah was staying out of trouble.

The world turned again and she felt Delphine’s arms catching her fall and softly maneuvering her body into the pillow again.

"You have to get better first, Cosima. Just rest for a few more hours. The temple is safe for you, I promise." Delphine stroked her thumb slightly over her cheek again and Cosima felt herself drifting to sleep quite easy as she felt a light kiss on her forehead and also something wet hitting her cheeks. Both confusingly familiar, like she lived this scenario hundreds of times before. If it weren't for Delphine’s tears, Cosima wouldn't mind it at all.


	5. Chapter 5

An intruder would wonder if the woman on the seat beside the bed was a statue or a living being, judging by the lack of movement the woman made. She just sit there, watching, observing, praising. Since the last sunrays bathed the restroom in a slowly intensifying darkness Delphine had to watch closer but she still could see the small wrinkles on the unconscious woman cheeks as they were highlighted by the last sunrays. Soon the room would be completely dark but she wouldn’t leave her spot, she silently promised Cosima that and continued to watch in awe how her chest slowly rose and fell, not missing a single breath her friend took.

 

Was friend even a word she's allowed to use in reference to Cosima? She hasn't seen the other woman in years; at least not in the flesh. Every night in her dreams, but never in reality. Now she's here—her Cosima. Warm, solid, breathing, laughing, smiling, talking and blushing at Delphine’s touch. Just like old times.

 

For a short moment, Delphine could convince herself that this was real and those last years she had to endure without the brunette were the real dream. If she only closed her eyes hard enough she could swear that she's still at home, a half-naked Cosima lying in bed, their usual morning routine. The brunette sleeping until dawn, ignoring her responsibilities for a while longer only to stay in bed with her girlfriend for as long as she could. The light flecks slowly shimmer over her back, shining from the windows where Ra started his morning ritual. Her barely covered body framed by the sunrays, highlighting Cosima’s natural beauty for the world to see. Delphine was convinced that the god of life wanted to start every day bragging with his greatest work. There was no way a day could start any better.

 

Every artist would only need one look at Cosima and be inspired for the rest of his life. She knew it. This godlike piece of perfection haunted her since the first time she'd laid eyes on her and was the cause for every painting the princess made. Seeing the little sparks on the body she's so familiar with makes her dream so real. Or would, if there weren't those small scars she hasn't seen before, disturbing her little dream bubble with fears and scenarios how they were placed there. Some looked like marks from a whip, smaller, straight ones more like knife wounds and Delphine thanked Osiris that he hadn't called Cosimas soul to judgment yet. Injuries like this could be far more dangerous than just leaving scars. Wherever Cosima had been, the princess was determined to change it. She found her again and wouldn't let her leave again, whatever the costs were.

 

-

 

"No Katja, leave Helena alone." Cosima mumbled and started to stir in her sleep, "She can't go with you. I won't let her." The sudden noises woke Delphine whose head was just inches away from the brunette. Her sleep deprived mind made her act on instinct and she covered Cosima’s body with her own, shielding the other woman from whatever danger occurred. It took her a few seconds to fully notice the cause of her abruptly disturbed sleep before she straightened her body, avoiding taking Cosima’s hand so she wouldn't cause her the discomfort of being trapped. It would only make her panic more.

 

"Shh cherié, calm down you're having a bad dream." Delphine whispers, softly stroking Cosima’s cheek with her thumb. "Wake up, Cosima. Everything is fine. You're safe here." She reassures her, stopping the young woman's torment. Succeeding slowly when Cosima started to open her eyes, escaping her nightmare.

 

"Where... " the young woman tried to orient herself before her glance fell on the blonde. "It's you." She said bluntly and Delphine tried to ignore the pain she felt by those words, the coldness she spoke it with. Cosima didn't hurt her on purpose, never would but still did. So she wore her best fake smile and sat up again.

 

"Oui, I'm still here."

 

Cosima’s breathing became slower and was almost back to normal again but the fear her nightmare occurred didn't leave her as quickly.

 

When they lost Katja her family was devastated. Every one of her sisters lost a part of them when the disease slowly took their oldest sister away.

 

The former head of the family knew each one of her sisters inside out; every tick, flaw, like and dislike. Much to Cosimas displeasure Katja knew how she'd react even before herself, proved her ability hundreds of times. She was the best sister/patron/protector/mother figure the girls could ask for and when she was gone there was a time none of them knew how to go on with their lifes.

 

It was Katja who spoke with her first, who took Cosima under her care and in her last hours it was Cosima who was with her. It almost frightened her how clear she could remember the feeling as the redheads hand slowly lost it strength. She sat with her for hours and got used to the slight pressure until it started to become softer after and slackened completely as she took her last breath and left them alone, trusting Cosima to take of them, who felt far from ready for this responsibility. Never had she felt such loneliness before.

 

Knowing the inevitable didn't ease the pain. Katja got paler, thinner, and weaker and when she started to cough blood the sisters knew her fate, Osiri would call her to justice soon. Even if she tried her best, Cosima could never fill the void Katja had left behind. If they'd also lose Helena, Cosima wasn't sure how her family would handle it. Sarah would lose it for sure, Alison probably too after she demanded that everything was fine for a while. And she? Could she take such a loss again?

 

"Cosima, are you alright?" Delphine disturbed her fear spiral.

 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She closed her eyes, testing her condition. Her heart was slowly getting back to normal and the pounding in her head finally stopped. Only her shoulder hurt like hell. Her throat was a little swollen but she'd been through worse. This would take a few days but nothing serious. She could leave this place and get back to her sisters again.

 

"I have to go." Cosima said and put the silk blanket away.

 

"No! You can't leave." Delphine exclaimed, her hands already on the brunette’s arms to push her back. "You've heard what Varus said, you need to rest for a few days so your wounds will heal. It's only been one day."

 

"A whole day? Holy shit, I have to go back."

 

If it wasn't for Delphine, Cosima would've been out of the room already but the blonde’s grip was firm and Cosima’s shoulder was still too damaged to be a real challenge for the princess. So they continued to stay in this position, Cosima sitting on the bed and the blonde kneeling in front of her, staring into each other’s eyes.

 

"Not that I don't appreciate what you did for me, Delphine, I really do." Cosima started, eyeing Delphine's hand on her arm with mistrust. Now was the first time since she was alone with the blonde that she felt trapped, being held against her free will. The brunette didn't have much, but she was proud to be able to make her own decisions. Of course her opportunities were scarce. Most of them were based on the question live or die but she always valued the possibility to choose the other side, no one could take this from her. She knew it was silly but right now Delphine prevented this possibility and it unnerved her. She needed to leave now more than ever.

 

"Look Delphine, I owe you huge. I know that. Without you I'd lose my freedom and very likely my life, so I really can't thank you enough." Cosima made a short pause but the princess didn't interrupt her like she’d expected and Cosima wasn't sure if she should be glad or suspicious. "But I really need to go home. I have people waiting for me, they’re probably going crazy right now." She tried to explain, noticing full well that Delphine’s grip didn't lose its strength. If the princess planned to force her to stay, what could she do against it? But then again, why did she risk so much for her in the first place? It didn't make sense. Lying to the captain of the guards, probably to a few priests, calling the royal healer, nursing her, why all the trouble just to enslave her?

 

"I guessed that much." Delphine whispered. Cosima said that there were people waiting and the word was vague; it could be anybody. Friend, spouse, children, a dog, no one, but the jealousy already spread through her veins. Something she didn't feel for years and beside the growing need to claw this person’s eyes out, it was nice to feel something different again.

 

What had she felt in the past years besides numbness and pain? In the last day, she'd felt so many different emotions that the last years felt as if she'd just been a bystander, observing the life of another person without any attachment.

 

"But what about your wounds? A few more days won't hurt anyone. Whoever is waiting for you, I'm sure will be more than happy to have you back with restored health instead of your bruised self-right now that still needs assistance. The food here is excellent, you should enjoy it, Cosima, and allow yourself a little more rest." When she saw how Cosima’s cheek turned a little upside on one side and her eyes turned to slits, she instantly knew she'd said the wrong thing. ‘ _Merde’_ did this have to be so difficult?

 

If she hadn't taken her eyes from the princess Cosima would've noticed the struggle Delphine went through internally. Instead she fell into old patterns, back to insecurities she knew. She'd always been someone who followed her mind, regardless how appealing an opportunity looked, she decided with her head and not her heart and until now she never had a reason not to. Years of doing so made her immune for the objections from her heart, which never rebelled more than right now.

 

Of course the princess tried to catch her with food, knowing full well that she didn't have the opportunity to eat such meals at home. Anyway she wouldn't be able to enjoy the food, when she didn't know if her sisters were starving.

 

"I promise you can go to your people then, when you're well again."

 

"You don't understand, I have to go now." Cosima explained and the pleading in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Delphine, hurting her as always. How could she make her understand?

 

"Princess Delphine!" Came a young man through the door, Scott, his white robe swinging behind him as he entered. He must have run here.

 

As soon as he was an appropriate distance to them, he held his right arm in front of his belly and bowed eagerly, almost falling in the process as he was still walking to them. Cosima would've laughed if the man didn't seem so panicked. Catching himself he took a deep breath before he dared to address her again. He made sure his left foot was turned to Delphine and the other was horizontal beside it. The royal family deserved every respect he had to offer.

 

"Princess Delphine, the Pharaoh demands your presence in the palace immediately." Scott said, breathing heavily.

Delphine waited a few moments for him to catch his breath before she asked him. "Did something happen?" Her voice got a little higher and Cosima detected a little fear in it. Like she just waited for something to happen. Expecting the bad news and fearing them at the same time. But luckily Scott shocked his head, letting Delphine breathe easier instantly but she puckered her brow only a second later. "Then what is it?"

 

"I don't know, princess. A servant from the palace came here and I was sent to you immediately."

 

"Do you know the servant’s name?"

 

"No, he didn't introduce himself, princess.”

 

_‘Merde!’_ Delphine pressed a hand to her head, softly massaging her temple. For a few seconds nobody dared to say anything, Cosima and Scott just watched the blonde woman, wondering what she'd do and also more than curious about the sudden demand on the princess in the palace. After a long glance at Cosimas she made her decision. "Alright, I'll go to him. Scott, please stay here with Cos... I mean Beth, watch her and if she needs anything please bring it to her." She could hear a light snort coming from the brunette but her attention was on Scott who nodded, happy there was something he could help the princess with.

 

Delphine turned to Cosima again. "I'll probably have to go back to the palace with him, to stay for the night." She explained. The prospect of the blonde leaving her made Cosima search for her hand instinctively and just when she felt the warm hand and saw Delphine's small smile it registered what she did, but she didn't take it back. "I'll come back as soon as I can. Promise me you'll still be here when I come back." Delphine pleaded, looking the other woman straight in the eyes and Cosima felt again like Delphine would see every thought written directly on her face.

 

"I doubt I could leave this place without your permission anyway." She replied bitterly, trying to avoid Delphine's gaze and turning her head but not fast enough to miss the smirk on Delphine’s lips.

 

"You don't need my permission, Cosima, never. I could never hold you against your will. You didn't need it to come in either." She playfully added and Cosima silently agreed, a small smile forming on her lips too. "I promise you, as soon as I'm back we'll talk about everything. We could send someone to your people to tell them of your fate so they won't worry.” Delphine reassured her, turning her hand around so she was now holding Cosimas hand in hers. “Think of anything you want and I'll give it to you. Please think about your health, Cosima. Just this one time think of yourself first." The princess begged and Cosima was too perplexed to counter. "We'll figure something out, oui?" Cosima didn’t respond, which didn’t help Delphine feel better about leaving her. For all the time as she knew her, Cosima never broke a promise. She always made sure she only promised what was in her power. She never promised in advance or things she had no control over. It was Cosima’s first rule.

 

_“I want them to be worth something, you know.” Cosima said. “When I give a promise I want the people to be able to rely on them, to put all their faith in it and knowing I'll do it. Even one broken promise would damage this trust.”_

 

"No worries, Princess. I'll do what you asked, I promise." Cosima said, sensing Delphine wouldn't go if she didn't hear those two words. Even though it was a false safety. Both women knew full well that Cosima’s promise had been far too unspecific to provide any of that. There wasn't much she could do now, not without forcing the other woman to stay and she knew she had no right to do so. She flew with her fingers through her curly hair and threw her head back a little, staring up to the big ceiling but not really noticing anything.

 

Taking a deep breath she brought her hand to Cosima’s face, stroking her warm cheek with her thumb. To her delight the brunette closed her eyes this time, and lent a little into her touch, a small smile formed on her lips instantly mirrored on Delphine’s. In an act of bravery, the princess leans a little forward until her mouth is beside Cosima’s ear.

 

"Au revoir,'' she whispered softly and kissed her on the other cheek before she eventually let go of Cosima and went out of the room. Taking one last glance at her friend before she closed the door and went to the palace servant in the hallway.

 

"Holy shit." Cosima whispered, not daring to open her eyes right now. She’s fully aware that Scott was still in the room, but she didn't want to burst her bubble with his sight. Enjoying the feeling Delphine's lips left on her cheek, sensing how the small sparkle glimpse ignite her whole body. It was so much better than the silk blanket to warm her up.

 

After Delphines departure, hours could have passed without Cosima noticing, recalling the blondes lips on her cheek in a loop, not loosening the silly grin. Scott coughed a few times to remind her of his presence. "Are you alright? You haven't opened your eyes since Delphine left. Should I call her back? Or maybe a healer?" He asked, eying her unsurely. If something happened to the woman under his care, Delphine would never forgive him and he valued the friendship with the princess too much to risk anything.

 

"No. No need Scotty, I'm fine.” With all the power she could afford, Cosima opened her eyes and jumped out of the bed, managing to control the dizziness that came over her and even prevent herself from shaking a little bit. "See, as good as new." She replied, grinning her brightest smile earning a suspicious nod in return.

 

"Is Delphine in trouble? Letting me stay here, calling the healer and all that?"

 

"No, it's probably not because of you. There were a few attacks on the Pharaoh and his family. He wants them to sleep in the palace, surrounded by the guards under his protection." The man explained, taking a few steps in the woman's direction. "She's the only apprentice allowed to leave the temple during the training years. All of us are quite jealous." He added with a laugh. "I wouldn't want to switch with her either. Don't get me wrong. She's the nicest one here and if anyone deserves privileges it's her." He stutters, suddenly reminded who he talked about to.

 

"Because she's the princess?"

 

He pales at her word, almost getting as white as his robe before he starts his spate of explanation. "No! Well yes, that too. Of course. The gods chose her and her family to represent them on this earth.” Scott suppressed the need to rub his forehead in his nervousness, even when he was sure there were little sweat pearls already forming on it. How could he say something like that to a stranger? “Everything we're jealous of is just in our heads. It would mean we’re jealous of a god. It's inadequate and I probably said it wrong, I... " the young man stopped when he felt Cosima’s hand on his arm, grounding him a little in his heated excuse.

"No worries, Scotty. I think I got what you mean.” Cosima grinned. “She's a good person and not as shitty as most temple people I've met." Eagerly, he nodded, relieved Cosima wouldn't call the authorities about his comment. For the first time since they were alone, Scott allowed himself to breathe a little easier.

 

_

 

After a restless night in the palace Delphine looked out of her window, waiting patiently for Ra to show his face again. As soon as the first sunrays fell over Alexandria, she was allowed to leave the palace and run back into the temple again.

 

Back to Cosima.

 

It was still weird to think of her like that, in present tense. Sleep was impossible right now. The few hours she got when she was at the small woman's bedside were the best rest she'd in years and left her with so much energy that even the pure thought of sleep was ridiculous. It couldn't be to long until the sun rises again. So she put her clothes on, observing the horizon for the first flecks of light and running out of her room as soon as she saw the ghost of them shimmer far away.

 

The guards let her pass without any protest. The Pharaoh must've informed them then, just like he promised. When they opened the doors for her to enter, she felt a little guilty as they had to close it again as it was still early and the stone door needed a lot of strength to move. She'd thank them properly later. She needed to see Cosima again, to make sure it wasn't her imagination last night, or her desperate mind messing with her. Even when she knew it wasn't. She can still feel Cosima’s warm cheek against her lips and sparking through her whole body. It couldn't be a dream. Not this time. Impossible.

 

She ran through the hallway, taking two steps at the time, greeting Oman as he was on his way to prepare breakfast for the others, until she only stopped in front of the door where she left Cosima with Scott. Taking a deep breath, correcting her hair and her robe from the run, she put on her brightest smile before she entered the room, preparing herself to see a sleeping Cosima in bed with this adorable sleep winkles, hoping to observe the woman for a little while longer.

 

What she found instead was sobering. There was no adorable Cosima to watch, just Scott who had a small trail of saliva beside his mouth, sleeping on the chair beside the bed where the brunette was supposed to be.

 

Cosima was gone. She’s left her alone again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its back! With a new amazing beta and a few new ideas. Hope you like it!

_She's running, running through endless corridors, twisting and turning. She has to find her, to warn her that they are coming. How will she find her in this labyrinth? There's a giggle coming from somewhere in the distance._

_'Cosima? Cosima are you there?'_

_It's becoming louder. So are angry shouts that Delphine cannot place._

_An archway looms ahead of her._

_'Cosima! Please! Where are you?!' she calls._

_She nears a room, there's a commotion going on. The angry voices continue to grow louder, shouts and orders being barked out. Delphine feels a growing unease as she walks closer._

_Now she can see something. A small figure is pinned under a beast, flailing its arms hopelessly against its assailant. The beast continues to press down on the figure, choking the life out of the poor creature._

_Its eyes are wide in shock. Unmistakable large brown eyes, staring at the beast._

_No... it cannot be..._

 

“Cosima!”

 

Delphine wakes with a cry, gasping for air. Darkness envelops her sight. She is in her own bed, sheets tangled around her as she thrashed about. The blond takes a moment to steady her breathing. It has been a dream. Yet it felt so real. The cool night air does nothing to alleviate the burning ache she still feels.

 

Since Cosima's break-in into the Temple days ago, her mind couldn't rest, tormenting her while she slept. The brunette's sudden reappearance ripped open old wounds, which had only begun to heal.

 

Scott had recounted how they talked, until Cosima was too tired to continue. He put together two chairs by Cosimas bedside and at a distance he felt appropriate, then prepared himself for an uncomfortable night’s sleep. A small blanket from his own quarters was all he brought to give himself some comfort. Scott was sure that his provisional bed was everything he would need to keep an eye on Cosima. How very wrong he was. The young man was at a loss. How could a small woman slipped out unnoticed? He woke up seconds after his Princess entered the room. The Brunette had been close by him, but hadn’t made any noise on her way out. Nobody he knew could be this stealthy.

 

 _'Nobody but Cosima'._ A cat-like trait Delphine adored and hated. Scott was not the only one dumbfounded; in the past the Princess had experienced it herself more often than not. Although most of the time it was not unwelcome as now.

 

Delphine knew she should not be surprised Cosima chose to leave; the brunette certainly did not lack determination. It was foolish to think that anyone could stop her. Yet it was something the Princess had admired the most about her. Ironically, this time it seemed to have turned on her.

 

Delphine moves restlessly, unable to find sleep. It was not like she didn't know how to get on with life on her own. There was nothing else she knew better. Yet it did nothing to lessen the agony of Cosima's absence. There were days where she would drift off, dreaming of a lost youth. Sometimes she would get so lost in her daydreams, she'd dash back to her quarters to tell Cosima something. Once she got to the empty room she remembered the brunette was not there.

 

Frustrated, Delphine flung off her bed sheets and walked to her window. Her curtain billowed in the sea breeze. The city was calm. Rows of houses were spread before her, a labyrinth of narrow streets and dead ends. The Lighthouse shone in the distance for any passing ships to see.

 

Delphine sighed. At least Cosima hadn't jumped out of the window she thought. A friend of the Princess could leave the Temple at any hour. It hadn't even occurred to her to order the Guards to stop anyone from leaving. That would have done her no favors, except increase suspicions given the current situation. Deep down she wished this had all passed over. The timing couldn't have been worse. Rumors and gossip spread like wildfire in the Royal courts. Delphine was aware that Cosima may take the opportunity to leave in her absence. She had to follow the Pharaohs request; there was no way around it. Disobeying the Pharaoh's demands would have lead to more difficulties.

 

Every day had felt the same since the day they parted.

 

She did what was expected of her, following orders and the Pharaoh’s various requests, always asking herself why she bothered.

 

' _Your story is not done yet',_ a gentle voice whispers,interrupting her thoughts. Had Cosima not made her promise her, she would have faded away a long time ago. Cosima made her swear on their love that she would not take the easy way out, that she would keep their dream alive.

 

 _Cosima_ was her reason.

 

\---

 

Cosima knew her inside out. So she forced her to promise, with exact words, denying any possible escape. Her lover doomed her to live. Passing every day through a meaningless cycle of events. Without her heart, she existed like a ghost. The last years could not be counted as living. Not in the true meaning of the word.

 

It seemed cruel for the brunette to force this upon her. Delphine told her as much, trying desperately to make her understand what she asked of her. Of them.

 

She can still feel the trails of dried tears on her cheeks of that day. The sting of salty water betraying her before Cosima had even finished. Delphine needed a moment to collect her thoughts to form an objection.

 

Cosima dismissed her with a smile. One of those cheeky smiles Delphine loved so much. They almost always lessened her problems. But right then it did nothing to comfort her.

 

Sensing her lovers turmoil the brunette brought her hand up to Delphine's cheek, gently brushing away the tears. The light contact sent tingles through her body. She remembered how she lent into Cosimas touch, how much she craved the connection, never wanting the moment to end.

_'Someday you'll love again. You will find someone' She began. 'Someone who truly deserves you and can give you the life that I cannot.'_

_Cosima's fingers grazed over a bruised cheek, carefully following the trace of a cut that stopped bleeding only seconds ago. Delphine tried hard not to whimper but failed._

_The mark on her love was the last straw, the image burnt into Cosima's mind. She knew what had to be done. Every minute was precious. There was no time for a long goodbye. Despite that Cosima wanted to stay for as long as possible. Carefully she took Delphine's hands into her own pressing them together until she couldn't tell which were Delphines fingers and which were her own. She brushed the blondes trembling lips. They were one once again, not knowing where the one started and the other ended. It was soothing to know that this would never change. Cosima was doing this for Delphine's sake. It wouldn't be fair to leave her alone so abruptly after everything that had just happened; she deserved a proper goodbye._

_'You will find someone new, Delphine, I promise. Someone you can love without fear of any consequences. A person who won't risk your life for their love.' Cosima whispered, resting her forehead against Delphine's. Her lips then moved to the blonds shoulder, marking her one last time before trailing up her neck and slowly reaching their destination, kissing away more tears on each cheek._

_'I'll be an episode in your book of life as you're a chapter in mine. My favorite chapter no less' she added with a nervous grin, trying to ease their fears before continuing._

 

_'But my book ends with you and I can't hope for anything better, Delphine. Osiris will be so jealous of me when he gets to that part.' Even now she had the audacity to joke about the Gods, in the face of death himself. Delphine thought it was impossible for her love for Cosima to grow even more._

_'Your story isn't done yet.'_

Those words continued to haunt her. Delphine still remembers how she shivered, with the ground seemingly moving beneath her.

_She clung harder to Cosima, who did the same. Enjoying each other’s warmth one last time. Cosima knew she needed to protect Delphine at all costs, even if it meant breaking her own heart. She would do what needed to be done, so long as Delphine was safe._

_The prospect of Delphine having a life beyond her was bittersweet. Delphine had a chance of a real future, a life they both dreamed of. Only without her. Delphine could fulfill their dream alone, but with someone else. Cosima wanted to believe that it was enough and the fact that the blond would live made it worth everything._

_Even if she died._

_At this thought she gripped the blond harder, shattered by her own conclusion._

_Was it weird to feel jealous at this prospect? Delphine loving somebody else? It was not like she would betray her on purpose. All Cosima knew was that she wouldn't be there to live out her days with her. But if she could miraculously survive this, then she would be sure Delphine never even glanced at anyone but her. Maybe Thot would aid her fight. Grant her his protection, a miraculous save._

_For Delphine there wasn't anybody else. Not now, not in the future, not ever. Cosima was it for her. She got her in ways nobody else ever did. The brunette understood her passion for alchemy, her style of art, her humor, her hunger for knowledge. Cosima understood why she preferred Thot, the god of wisdom, before Hathor, the goddess of beauty as most women did._

 

_“Beauty doesn't solve conflicts, wisdom does.” She explained on one of their first meetings. For the first time, nobody had laughed at her. Instead Cosima starred, mouth agape by her admission, eyes so focused Delphine feared they'd fall out before a huge grin formed on the short womans face._

_"If you keep saying stuff like this, you'll have a hard time getting rid of me"._

_Delphine allowed herself to relax, knowing she had found a companion in this woman. Someone she wouldn't want to lose._

_Cosima still clung to her, she had to plea with her._

_“Ne m'abandonne pas!”._

_The sad smile she received only crushed her heart more._

 

_Cosima pulled back, gripping Delphine's shoulders, her desperation becoming more apparent._

_“Listen to me Delphine. There's a long and happy life waiting for you. You will be able to become independent from your family and do everything you have dreamed of. Travel around Egypt maybe even further. Then you'll marry, have children, have a fulfilling life Delphine, just like we imagined. To risk losing all this only because of me would be the real cruelty”, Cosima ended quietly._

_She kissed her forehead, her nose, cheeks. Blessing whatever Delphine decided to do and freeing her from any obligation. Delphine only sobbed harder._

 

_Even if she tried to sound hopeful, she knew the blond wouldn't agree with her. Cosima silenced her with a kiss as she opened her mouth to protest. Deep down they both knew it would be their last time together and they wanted this kiss to be as true as their whole relationship had been, a testament to what they had achieved with neither of them willing to lose._

 

\----

 

If Delphine had known better, that Cosima had survived, she would never have stopped searching for her, never left their home. But now her love was here. Somehow Cosima had found her again, in another place far from where they met, amongst a city filled with hundreds and thousands people. Yet the Princess let her slip away from her again, like the sand blown through the city gates.

 

For a short while, she's convinced that these hours in the Temple with Cosima were just a hallucination produced by her longing. But then Varus wanted to check on her friends shoulder again and Cal also asked for her, probably wanting to know how she got in to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Scott had asked her if she had found her again and why she used different names. All these people couldn't have shared the same hallucination. Cosima had to be alive and she's here, in Alexandria. She's determined to get her back, even if she has to search high and low.

 

She does not have many clues to aid her search. Cosima appeared scarred, starved, weak. Scott told her of their brief encounter in the storage room; how she tried to steal food knowing it was punishable by death. She must be desperate. She had also said that there were people she needed to go back to, both comforting and disturbing. Did she have a husband? Children to feed? A pang of jealousy starts rising in her chest. Delphine pushes those thoughts aside, trying to look on the bright side. At least she knows now she is not alone. There were people who took care of her now and more importantly who knew where she lived. If she could not find Cosima, perhaps she could locate these people. But where should she start her quest?

 

\---

 

The following days Delphine left the temple as soon as she could, earlier than she was meant to, much to the displeasure of the priests. But she was the Princess and she had privileges as such. So long as the Pharaoh did not catch wind of her escapades, it would be fine. None of the priests dared to disagree with her. It took a precise time schedule to get her duties done, searching the city for her lover and return without raising any suspicions. But so far she had managed. Every question Delphine dismissed with a smile or a glance, this was her own business. Only the Pharaoh could stop her, until then she would not give up.

 

This was the third tavern she had been into. Even with the citizens getting poorer by the rising taxes, the taverns were still frequently visited. A satisfying distraction for whatever money they had left. The types of people here varied, from the poor to those who were not rich but better off than most. Thieves and merchants under the same roof. Both trying to do business.

 

The count of women was sparse. The only ones she saw in the pubs were prostitutes who sold their bodies to any man who could pay for them. She had the feeling that the prostitutes and thieves got more the farther away they went from the palace and its guardianship. The people here were rougher than the blond was used to and she tried not to anger or draw unnecessary attention from anybody. Just observing and asking the most trustworthy looking people, which got harder with each house.

 

If Delphine had been alone maybe she would not have dared to roam around the city as she had been doing, or with a much more alert mind but thank Isis she wasn't. Her personal servant demanded to go with her and she thanked the gods for his aid. Felix . Her most trusted servant and also her best friend.

 

Since she came to the palace the man was with her, ordered to fulfill all her wishes and he performed outstandingly. Not only following what she instructed but more importantly doing things without her needing to say. When she told him to leave her alone he only snorted and followed her. The food he brought for her in the last days he didn't even bother to set in front of her but ate it himself, knowing it was pointless to convince her to o so herself. He was the next best thing in her life and hadn't left her side once. He could never know how thankful she was to him. Felix dramatic, caring, coy and most of all honest attitude was rare to find, more so in the palace. It was refreshing not to consider every word before she spoke it. Felix was no better and said what he had in mind, not caring if it could be taken as criticism of the Pharaoh or herself. He trusted her to keep these friendly conversations between them. When they were alone he never treated her as a Princess but as an equal friend and it made her feel normal again.

 

Delphine could feel Felix eyes following her when she left her observation post in the corner. A feq minutes were enough to be certain that Cosima wasn't in this tavern either. She would ask the men behind the wooden counter if he knew a woman matching Cosima's description. If not Felix and her would move on to the next tavern, farther away from the palace, each with more shady subjects in it. Felix could barely contain his excitement. Initially he'd been against this idea, eventually caving into Delphine.

 

She had not elaborated as to why she was so obsessive in this search for a friend, what 'Beth' really is to her, but he was still willing to go. The closer they got to the ghetto, the more he wanted to turn around but his protests fell on deaf ears. Delphine had allowed him to leave her, released him from his servant duty, but he refused with a sniff and led the way to the next tavern himself, eying everyone like a watchdog. Every corner they passed, every street they walked on, everybody who eyed them seemed be creepier than the one before. The only thing stopping Delphine from following her instinct and turn back instantly was the image of a gypsy looking girl, grinning away, amused by her fears. She owed it to her, owed her her life. After everything this was the least she could do. So she took a deep breath and asked for the hundredth time that evening.

 

"Do you know a young woman with long wavy brown hair? She has deep brown eyes, around this high" she lifted her hand until a little under her chin. "She usually wears a band on her arm, maroon colored. Her name is Cosima"

 

Sadly the response was the same every time: No.

 

Maybe they really didn't know her or just didn't want to tell Delphine, it was hard to tell.

 

This pattern could go on for months without any results. Her description of Cosima was vague of course, even if she could describe every mole on the womans skin in detail. The princess could name every beauty spot, every asymmetric nuance of skin color, the position of every mole on her body but for which purpose? There was no point in saying anything more. This way she could keep some parts of Cosima to herself. Talking about her dimples or the way she moved wouldn't really help Delphine to find her.

 

"Darling, it’s late, we have to get outta here." Felix approached her, sending a glare towards a middle aged man leering at the Princess. To make his position clear he quickly laid an arm around her hip, pressing Delphine into him a little more. He glanced over his shoulder, observing how the man backed away and turned his attention back to his pot of wine in front of him. "She's not here and tomorrow you have to be in the temple for the ritual."

 

 _'Merde!'_ Tomorrow was the annual swearing in ceremony of the Pharaoh's new guardsmen. The day they vowed their unrestricted loyalty to him; the whole family needed to be present for this event as they vowed to protect them as well. This elaborate affair took up a whole day, as each and every guard would present himself before the Pharaoh and swear his oath, strictly following protocol. Because of the recent events, the old guards would be vowing their loyalty again too. It meant an even longer and exhausting day none of them looked forward to. But Delphine understood its significance, an important day she could not miss. Yet another day without Cosima...

 

"Don't give me that look sweetheart, I'll suffer too!" Felix explained. "The ceremonial clothes are just an impertinence! And I'll have to wear them the whole day. Do you have any idea how much it scratches?" He rolled his eyes, realizing his friend was not paying any attention.

 

"Of course you don't, you and your silk dresses never will. What would I give to have my clothes in silk?" A small unnerved sigh before he went on. "But let me tell you this one thing, it's not pleasant." When he was sure that no one was paying them any attention he loosened his grip on her and positioned himself in front of her. "Darling, if your friend doesn't want to be found maybe it’s better this way." Delphine turned her head, her eyes boring into Felix'.

 

"You saw her, she saw you, you both talked about the last years apart. Goodbye, see you in a few years. Horus knows how much I wished my friends were that easy. "

 

"Putain!" Delphine cursed as she turned to her friend. Felix looked taken aback by her outburst. It was unusual to hear her swearing, something he would never get used too.

 

"Look Felix I know you think this is pointless, searching for her without any clue and that I should go back to the palace and live my life but I simply can't. Please accept that or leave me alone!" She made sure to lower her voice so nobody could overhear them. "Tomorrow it's not possible to go into the city, I'll lose a whole day and every day that passes, she gets further away from me!"

 

_'Ah but she has no idea who you are anymore' a voice exclaimed in her head. A creeping dread up her spine._

 

"Well not that I don't get your nostalgic mood and your wish to relive the past and everything, fine, but when you talked about Beth before I never had the feeling that she was someone that close to you. Or somebody you would fuss over so much" he clarified.

 

"So you're saying I'm cold hearted?" Delphine hissed, eyes narrowing. Felix sent her a coy grin, this all knowing smile which drove Delphine crazy on some days.

 

"No. I am saying that you are -" he tapped her lightly on the forehead with his index finger. "-bullshitting with me darling." His smile turned into a light frown.

 

" _What?_ Why would I..." Delphine asked surprised, unsure what Felix's accommodation meant.

 

"If you continue this than we'll get a serious problem. You know I hate lying." After a brief pause, the man corrects himself with a shrug. "Well at least someone lying to me" He adds, grinning again.

 

"I've known you for years now, Delphine, since you got here actually." He holds her gaze, and the princess feels herself shrinking under his glance. "I've been by your side the whole time and you have always been a little distant." Ashamed by his accusations she turns her head away, eyeing a special dirty spot on the floor. "You were guarded and careful. Always keeping to your role as the dutiful Princess you play for everyone. Controlled from head to toe since day one, never falling out of role for even a second. Not even in front of me."

 

Delphine turned away completely, defending whatever is left of her confidence knowing he had seen right through her facade, in more ways than she could imagine.

 

"Right now your emotions are going crazy and an old servant of yours could never wreck you like that, at least not if you haven't forgotten to tell me something important about her. "

 

He suspected something, she knows it. Felix knew of her relationship with Cosima, knew how much she had loved her and still did. He was the only person she shared stories of her past lover with. He was the only one who knew how much she meant to her. If Delphine even scratched Beth's name in one of her stories, it was always in reference to Cosima. Never Beth herself. She didn't really know Beth that well. Of course Felix noticed this and it put her to shame that she underestimated him the same way other people did.

 

Her silence was almost as difficult as telling him the whole truth. But where should she start? Keeping everything to herself was easier, it was safer for both of them. For a moment she considers a few possible scenarios, reasons to search for Beth with this intensity.

 

She could try to convince him that the other woman was a lost connection to Cosima, that she wanted her close in honor of Cosima. The thought was dismissed almost instantly. Felix knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't just go about looking for a lost string. The deepest connection to her lover she treasured in her heart and her memories. Another person who shared her previous live with her, who was also on Cosimas side didn't mean anything.

 

"Look I know that she means a lot to you, that you want to find her. I get that and I'll help you if I can. But at least tell me why I risk my ass in the darkness of these streets, with the constant danger of getting stabbed breathing down my neck. Not to mention that every passing second the stench of the streets slowly sinking into my pores?!".

 

Still no answer. What could she tell him? What should she tell him? The truth? Lie about Beths importance? Would he go to the Pharaoh or maybe Cal? Felix had her unrestricted trust, he was her friend. What if he betrayed her? In her time with Cosima she learned a harsh lesson, anybody could turn on you. Even the ones most close to you.

 

"Do you know that you still scream out Cosima's name every time you have a nightmare?" He asked, approaching the topic from a different side. "At least you used to regularly, until the night you met 'Beth' again. Since then you either haven't slept at all or just mumble something I can't understand."

 

Felix waited, wanting to give her the chance to tell him the truth. After a fair amount of silence he moved on.

 

"This tells me two things. First: you lied to me." The princess tenses, preparing herself for the final blow. "Second: 'Beth' isn't the one we're searching for." The young man ended, telling Delphine exactly what she feared he would. He got her. He figured it out. This meant danger! Danger for her and most importantly Cosima. Her chest cramped, every breath she took demanded a lot of effort.

 

"Who else should I search then?" Was everything she managed to get out, her voice higher than usual. She needs to get away so she can think of an acceptable answer, her steps quicken as she is trying to distance herself from Felix. Preferring to be alone in the growing darkness, than having to answer him right away. But he was in great shape, better than herself. He could stay beside her without much effort.

 

They were almost at the next tavern when he finally voiced what he suspected for days now.

 

"Hollering Horus, maybe Cosima herself. Are we spirit hunting? Do you see her in somebody?"

 

However she answered could give her away now. The truth would mean danger, but to keep lying would mean betrayal. Betraying the only friend she had.

 

"That's impossible, she's dead you know that" Delphine whispered, her mouth dry, barely audible.

 

The truth still stung. Eagerly she set foot into the next tavern. For the first time, she was glad to find a crowd of people. Here Felix would not dare to ask more, knowing he would need to be alert watching the people around them. She could feel him beside her, already glancing at every minor threat, like he was trained to do. That was his role, he was a protector and his personal curiosity would need to wait. Obviously he was not pleased with the way she avoided his question but he had time. They would go home after this one Delphine couldn't run away from him forever. Only this pub.

 

He expected her to find a table in the back, like she always did but is time Delphine didn't move an inch. At first he thought there wasn't a free one available but he could see one at the corner to their left. He wanted to lead her, lightly pushing her into the direction but Delphine refused to budge. He nudged her a little harder this time, but she stood stock still, entranced by a woman in front of the bar.

 

The woman was gorgeous; he'd give her that. Petite, but with curves in all the right places. Her brown wavy hair falling over her shoulders in a mess, and when she laughed she inclined her head slightly, exposing her neck. After a slight touch to her forehead she brushed her hair back over her shoulder, not that it was necessary, it was long enough not to fall back by such a short gesture. Perhaps a flare she got used to with shorter hair.

 

A man in front of her eyed her closely. His eyes examining her whole body. Eyes, face, arms, breasts, hips, legs. Not even trying to hide his intentions. The woman was poor judging by her clothes and he obviously was not. It was clear what was happening there. The small coin bag already on the bar table, but he still had his hands over it, not quite ready to let the woman get a hold on it before he was sure he'd also get what he wanted.

 

Such a shame. This woman was a real beauty and this man could do whatever he wanted with her tonight. Hopefully she'd still be alive in the morning.

 

Delphine continued eying them, both, the man and the small beauty. Much like a vulture, ready to pounce on her prey.

 

The man took another sip of his drink before he grabbed the woman by the arm with one hand, the other grasping her face. Delphine whispered one word, as she watched the woman react.

 

"Cosima"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may need some light assault/rape trigger warning, so if you're triggered than please come back for the next chapter and leave this one out. Its not big but I don't want to cause any one of you this trouble.

_Cosima._

Her mind goes blank. Only a few feet away, stands her Cosima. The elusive woman that has haunted her dreams since forever. And she's being handled like cattle. Her captor is tall and burly, dressed well in finer clothes than she. Yet his feet are _filthy._ It's a strange contrast.

Delphine holds her tongue. The man has his hands on Cosimas shoulders. His hands are drifting further south, stroking the sides of her breasts, right down to her hips and then to her legs and foot.

 _'He's searching for weapons.'_ Delphine realises. There was nothing lustful in the touch like she was expecting. His movements are too controlled, precise. This part of Alexandria was rough, Cosima can't have been the first woman he had used for their 'services'. Experience would justify his cautious approach.

The kind of work these women undertook wasn't safe, they needed to be careful with their choices for the night. But they could not be too picky either. If you were desperate enough, you could easily make a poor decision that could kill you. Over the years many women taught themselves some defensive tricks. Some grouped together, women and men, forming syndicates to rob under the guise of providing 'personal services'.

Cosima's customer seemed pleased what he found or rather didn't. She seemed hesitant for a moment, before leaning to his ear, her long hair falling into her face. A smile creeps across his face. Delphine cannot make out what is being said. Abruptly, he grabs the brunette by her forearm and heads towards the entrance, roughly dragging the brunette along.

Panic starts to set in. She looks around; she has to stop them from leaving! _Felix, Felix..._

"Felix! You have to get her!" Delphine asks, exasperated. Her emotions whirl into overdrive as she watches Cosima leave the Tavern.

Confused by her panicked outburst, Felix turns to Delphine. "Get who? That woman who was just dragged out?"

"Yes!"

Not granting him time for more questions, she takes Felix by his arm, following the pair out of the Tavern. If he was taken aback by her actions, he doesn't show it. As soon as the door closes behind them, they follow Cosima and her customer from a distance. It's a necessity that they stay inconspicuous, not to draw any unwanted attention to themselves. But they also needed to keep up otherwise they'll lose sight of them.

Delphine can feel Felix boring holes into the back of her head but she can't risk explaining everything to him now. It will have to wait.

They progress further into the ghetto. The streets are somewhat narrower than what she's familiar with. A cloying stench permeates in the air. Washing hangs out of windows like patchwork. Homeless men lie slumped against walls. The sun is almost set; it's becoming harder to see. Every few steps Delphines dares to glance ahead, she's surprised to see Cosima leading the way. She seems to be following a known route.

 _'There must be a place she already has for these occasions...'._ Delphine frowns, unpleasant scenes flooding her mind. Jealousy and fury rise in her chest. ' _How often has she used this route already? I should've made her stay in the palace!_ _She'd be safe there!_ _How dare he lay his filthy hands on her!_ '

"Where have they gone?", Felix's voice snaps her back to the present.

Delphine stops, her right hand stopping Felix from walking any further. She scans the street. There are hardly enough people to conceal them, yet Cosima and her customer are nowhere in sight.

There are two alleyways on either side. As they approach the first one on the right, she can hear voices. Looking up, a small turret is visible on the high wall. Delphine realizes they must be somewhere along the city's edge.

Slowly, they inch towards the voices. She can make out a demanding male voice. It must be them. Delphine fumbles with the small bag of coins she has and pulls Felix closer. His face is a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"Take this!" She shoves the bag into Felix's hand. They still have a chance to interrupt whatever is happening. "You have to offer her more than him."

"Me? For that woman? Are you barking mad?" He whispers, turning to Delphine.

"Just do it! We can't let this continue! Please Felix! Give all of it if necessary, just get him to leave."

The bewildered servant tightened his gripped on the bag of coins.

"What do you expect me to do? Sorry to interrupt but can I have her instead? Here's some coins for your troubles?"

"Anything! He must not touch her!" Her head turns back to the alley, the voices have quieted.

"Go and forbid it yourself. The man will obey you. Have you seen the ring on his hand? He's a merchant; he won't dare risk losing his privileges."

"I must not reveal myself, you know that. Felix, s'il te plaît! I will explain everything later. Just get her away from him!"

Felix sighs in defeat. How can he deny her anything? For years he'd longed to see the Princess express any strong emotions. For as long as he's served her, she always seemed somewhat cold, detached. Barely anything was of special interest. Nonetheless she has always carried out her duties unfailingly. Yet seeing this change in her despite the bizarre situation, he feels compelled to help her.

"Oh the things I do for you... of all the other sweeties in this city, why does it have to be this one..." Checking his daggers are all in place, he takes a deep breath and walks further into the alley.

* * *

The man forces his mouth on her, feeling her roughly, ruffling her clothes. She can sense his arousal already. ' _Must've been a while,'_ she muses. _  
_ Merchants spent most of their time traveling from city to city. It could be months before they reached their destination. Even then, they could not stay for long before needing to move on.

It's taking all of Cosima's willpower to stop herself from clawing out his eyes. She can't stand submitting her body like this, but she's glad he hasn't ripped her clothes off yet. ' _Arrah! Just a little longer and this better be over... or else...'_

Earlier he had told her how exhausted he felt, but luckily she managed to convince him to follow her outside. If he had taken her to a private room, her plan would completely fail. The man's movements are growing clumsier. ' _Thank Isis. Any minute now...'_ Although his movements have slowed, his enthusiasm hasn't faded. His hands are trying to work their way beneath her robes...

* _cough* "_ Excuse me, but I'm afraid I have to interrupt."

A lithe figure continues to approach them. The Merchant continues his actions ignoring the intruder but Cosima is surprised and also embarrassed enough to push him away. Glassy eyed and confused the merchant looks at her. It takes him a moment to realize they are no longer alone. Slowly, he follows her gaze.

"What do you want? Can't you see we're busy here!" The Merchant growls. He makes a grab for Cosima, but she steps back. Angered, he tries to move forward towards her but loses balance.

"Yes, I can see _that_ ", the lithe man replies, with a hint of annoyance. "Look I need an easy and fast distraction, Madame", Felix addresses Cosima with a smile. Felix's eyes do not leave the Merchant. He needs to be careful. If things take a turn for the worst, Felix knows he needs to strike first.

"Well I found this 'distraction' first. Search for another!" the Merchant barks back. His attention is turned back to Cosima. The brunette looks to the Merchant then back to Felix.

"I must insist. Here are some coins for your troubles. Please, leave her to me." Felix takes another step forward, displaying the coins in his hand.

"Piss off boy! Take your gold elsewhere!"

The Merchant makes a grab for Cosima. Her arms are now trapped in a vice like grip. She can feel the intruder's eyes on her. She doesn't like this. Her plan did not consider this scenario occurring. Cosima flinches at the humorless laugh of the Merchant before he pushes her back into the wall.

"Why don't you just wait a few moments? I won't be long, and then this little beauty here is all yours." The Merchant slurs.

 _'Well aren't you a charmer...',_ Felix mutters, rolling his eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't have the time. Just take these coins from me and go." Felix commands more forcefully. For a moment, he's sure the Merchant will take his offer. But at the last moment he swats his hand away. The coins clatter to the ground.

"How many times do I need to tell you? Piss OFF!"

The Merchants starts to stumble away, dragging Cosima with him. His uncoordinated movements are now more pronounced.

' _Oh great, now what'?_ He can't let this drag on. The Princess and he must return to the Temple before the gates close. But not without the Princesses prize. In his current state, the Merchant would be easy to subdue. This may leave him with a bad headache but it's the least of Felix's concerns right now.

Felix strides towards them, hands flexing. His palms are already sweating. _  
_ The Merchant slowly turns his head back to look, hearing him move. Before he can say more, Felix forces him into the wall. Cosima manages to leap out of the way, watching on horrified as he smashes the Merchants head against it.

The Merchant slumps to the ground with a groan. Cosima is shocked. The young man is panting slightly, leaning against the wall. He wipes his brow before turning to face her.

Cosima stares back.

"Do you want to gawk at me for the rest of the night or get whatever you can from him before he wakes up?" the intruder remarks.

Cosima is in half a mind to run off, this guy is clearly trouble. He's well-off, that much is obvious. Her eyes trace the emblem on his daggers. _Falcon. Royalty. SHIT!_ The last thing she needs now is to have a run in with more Royal guards. Especially given what happened last time.

The intruder raises his eyebrow. Cosima realizes she needs to say something, fast.

"What happened to plausible deniability?" Cosima says, with her signature quirk. Maybe she can charm her way out of this one.

He rolls his eyes. "Look sweetie, I haven't got all night to banter. My pores are crying for a bath and if I don't, I'll have you to blame for my stress acne. Take what you want from him while you can so we can get moving."

 _'We? What the hell has he got planned?!'_ Did he really still want her service after this? For some reasons she didn't believe that. He didn't seem to have any interest in her. So what did he want? It could be some sort of trap, but at this moment in time she hasn't much of a choice.

She spots the gold necklace and rings on the Merchant. They could be pawned for enough food to feed her family until the next harvest at least. She takes the necklace but only 2 of his rings. He still has three left, including the ring of the Merchants Guild. She's caused him enough trouble already. Getting a new Merchants ring would take forever, if the Authorities even allow him a new one.

"Aren't you forgetting something?", the Intruder remarks, pointing to the dagger and remaining rings.

"You see where we are, right?", Cosima gestures around. "He's as good as dead without a weapon."

"Aren't you a saint?"

Cosima shoots him a glare.

"And his rings? Do you hope he hurts someone else harder with them?"

She notes his sarcastic tone but doesn't reply. She already has his coin bag as well, that was easy to swipe earlier. Cosima wasn't cruel. No matter how much she despised The Merchant, he probably had a family to support too. Perhaps it was foolish for thieves to waste such an opportunity, but she was no thief. All of this was only done out of necessity. When her Day of Judgment came, she would defend herself to Osiris. Maybe her intentions would turn her scale to her favour. If the Gods could not spare her for her actions, then what kind of Gods were they?

"STOP in the name of the Pharaoh!"

She freezes. Another person is jogging towards them. The figure is tall and slender like a dancer, unusual for a guard. Then again the young man already there is not so different. As the figure draws nearer, she can make out long hair flopping about in the low light.

"By Isis, I thought you'd left me to the dogs! Everything is done." the Intruder says to the tall figure.

"Thank the Gods! Are you okay? Is she okay? This was taking so long; I thought something happened to you."

The tall figure has a womans voice. Melodic with an unusual accent. As she steps closer, Cosima can see fair curls and hypnotic hazel-green eyes. ' _You've got to be joking...'_

It is the Princess from days before. The Princess who saved her from the wrath of the Royal Guards.

Princess Delphine.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Here's a little key to explain the Egyptian stuff.
> 
> Definition:
> 
> Amun: King of the gods and god of the wind
> 
> Anubis: Protector of the dead and embalming
> 
> Isis: Goddess of health, marriage, and love
> 
> Osiris: God of the afterlife, death, life, and resurrection
> 
> Thot: God of Knowledge, Hieroglyphs and Wisdom
> 
> Scale of justice and place of Iaru: After your death your soul is in front Osiris, on one side the scale is weighted with all your good deeds and when your bad deeds aren't heavier than the good ones, your good and are granted in the great world of Iaru (something like heaven where everything is perfect)
> 
> I hope I didn't forget anything, if so just ask.
> 
> Don't know if this inner voice thing actually works but I kind of like it so I thought I leave it in, you'll see why. Hopefully you weren't confused, if so say and I'll need to think of something different.
> 
> I don't know if Orphan Black and Egypt can actually work together but like I said it wouldn't leave me alone and I just love Egypt and gods and Orphan Black so it came natural to me to join them.
> 
> I really hope you guys like it and feel free to review and tell me what you think. ;)
> 
> Julie


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